Epilogue

Five years later

"So, are you looking forward to meeting Calyx and Rowena?"
"You've told me so much about them so yes," Dania answered honestly.
Dania's training with a witch Dave had found was finally complete and so the two of them were leaving the city of Chicago behind. The city that had been their home for five years now. They were heading to New York, where Calyx and his mate Rowena had settled down decades after they had come to this plane. New York hadn't even been founded when Dave, Calyx, his mate and son had originally come to earth and hadn't been for centuries. Dave had discovered other dragon shifters that had escaped his realm over the years and had settled down in various cities, not just in the US, but in Europe, where they had they had originally landed. America hadn't been founded for several centuries after they had come to this realm.
They were taking the train, of course, but Dave was talking about getting a new car, as he hadn't had one ever since he had sold his back in San Francisco.
There had been no need for a car because Chicago had a lot of cabs and Dave hadn't seen the point of going to the expense of a car in a city with excellent cab service and also buses if you couldn't afford taking a cab everywhere. Buses were far cheaper for those people that were not wealthy but were middle class at best. Money wasn't an issue for Dave, however.
"I'm sure you'll like them and also their son if he happens to be home visiting. They're very warm and welcoming for one thing and my father trusted them, which says a lot, as the king didn't trust easily."
"S,o in other words, the Hadleys are loyal to the crown, and that means they're loyal to you, because you're nearly positive that your parents are dead," Dania summarized and Dave nodded.
"I don't see how they can't be dead, as my younger brother doesn't have a sentimental, compassionate or loving bone in his entire body. He's greedy, hateful, nasty and evil," Dave said. "He wouldn't have kept them alive just because they gave birth to him. No, he would've gotten rid of the problem in case they managed to escape and stir the people's hope. If people have hope then that's not good for my brother, because people that have hope start to fight back against their oppressors. Even if Miles killed off a lot of them as an example to the rest, that rebellion will not be tolerated that's not going to stop people from hoping though, once it has been stirred up.
"If they're still alive, I'll be very shocked," Dave finished the thoughts he had on that particular subject. "I just don't see it."
"I'm sorry I'll never get a chance to meet them, though if I ever do meet your brother he's going to regret meeting me," Dania said with a fierce grin.
"You've turned into a formidable force ever since you finished your training," Dave told her proudly. "I almost wish Miles or some assassin he sends after me would show up so that you could deal with them brutally and swiftly. Almost," Dave told her grinning at the thought of Dania dealing with whatever assassin Miles sent after him yet again. He'd already survived multiple assassination attempts, though not since he had met Dania but they would come once his brother's spies located him again. It's why he was always moving from place to place. Assassins had a harder time locating you if you didn't stay in one spot. Dave was constantly on the move, never settling in one place, though he'd been in Chicago longer than he'd been anywhere else, but that was only because Dania had needed training in her magic so they had to stick to the city until that training was complete. Luckily, none of Miles's spies had located him while he and Dania were in Chicago and since they were about to move on and visit the Hadleys in New York, it was unlikely that Miles spies would locate him before he was gone.
"Yeah, those assassins would regret coming after you," Dania agreed. "I know some good defensive spells now, but I wouldn't like to use them with a lot of people around, because you know what most everyone thinks about witches. Still, I would do so in order to defend both of us."
"And you should, and if anyone happens to see you and starts rumors well we would just move on before those rumors could turn those people into a mob to burn out the witches," Dave said. "We'll face any danger or problems together, as that's the way it should be when it comes to those that are connected, because they're soulmates. It's the way my parents were with each other, as they faced any problems together before they became unmanageable. Together they were a formidable force, more formidable than when they were alone."
"Sounds wonderful," Dania said smiling. "Now I'm really sorry I'll probably never have a chance to meet them, because they sound like wonderful people whether they were king and queen or not."
"They were," Dave agreed smiling, sadly, as he thought about his parents who were probably dead. "Let's get going before we miss our train. The cab driver should be here to help us with our trunks any minute now. Are you sure we have everything that we haven't left anything behind?"
"No, we have everything," Dania said looking around the room of the house they had rented once they had known they were going to be in Chicago for a while. Renting a house had gotten them out of that hotel room where people could note their movements. The house that Dave had rented was simply more private. They had needed a private place, so the witch that Dave had found could give Dania her magic lessons every day without her ever having to leave home. The witch Dave had found, had turned out to be a pleasant older woman, and had taught Dania many things that she probably wouldn't have learned from her mother. Her mother had been a country witch and had lived in the country all her life, but magic and taught in the cities was different in a lot of ways to the magic that was taught in the country.
Dania would probably never have left the small farming village she had grown up in if not for the murder of her family so she likely never would've learned any magic outside of what was known in the countryside and used by country witches.
Spells used out of the country were ones like how to get your bread to always rise and how to put a sheep to sleep so he wouldn't struggle as you sheared off the wool, so you could make yourself a new winter dress.
While such spells were useful in the country, they wouldn't be very useful in the city, Dania knew.
"So, I've been wondering how you got the last name of Rossi as I know you didn't have a last name when you came to this realm, as surnames weren't even around at the time," Dania asked Dave as they were waiting on the cab driver.
"Well, you already know I took the name of David instead of the one I came to this realm with because that's what my name basically translates into on this world," Dave began. "As for my surname when those started to be common due to a lot of different factors well, I happened to be traveling in Italy and just happened to see that particular name on the side of a building. That it has turned out to be a very common surname, even here in America is just a coincidence. I didn't really put any thought into it if you want to know the truth. All I knew was that I needed a human last name, so I would blend in with the rest of the population."
"So, if I'm understanding you right you basically picked your surname out of a hat," Dania chuckled at Dave's story. "That it just happened to become very common here in America and I'm sure in Italy as well is just a coincidence."
"Basically, yeah," Dave admitted with a chuckle of his own.
"That is some story," Dania said, shaking her head. "What about the Hadleys since they arrived at the same time you did."
"You'll have to ask them why they chose that particular last name," Dave told his mate smiling. "Calyx would've seen the same signs I did though, about how last names were becoming common on this world, so that people could identify each other from all the Roberts and Anthonys and Smiths and Jones out there. The same goes for all the other dragons I've run across over the centuries, ones that escaped my world just like I did."
"That's rather interesting," Dania admitted.
"It is what it is," Dave shrugged. "I'm glad you find it interesting though."
The cab driver arrived, just then so Dave and Dania quit talking for the moment as the driver helped Dave drag the trunks towards the stairs with Dania following.
"My cab is waiting to take you and your wife to the train station sir," the cab driver told Dave.
"Thank you, sir," Dave told the man politely handing him a tip after the cab driver had helped haul the trunks into the back of his cab.
"You're welcome, sir," the cab driver said politely, as he climbed up into his spot.
Dave helped Dania climb into the cab before climbing in himself and at Dave's signal the cab driver started towards the train station
"Well, New York here we come," Dania said.
"Yes, New York here we come," Dave agreed smiling, as he squeezed his mate's hand lovingly.
The two were silent for the rest of the journey until they reached the train station where the cab driver helped unload the two trunks from the back of his vehicle, hurling them onto the train platform with Dave's help. Dave paid him for the ride and the cab driver headed back for his cab
"So why don't we sit over there and wait for our train to get here?" Dave said, pointing out the bench that was placed a little ways back from the edge of the train platform.
"Sounds fine," Dania said, though her feet were hardly sore since she hadn't been on them very much. Still, there was no reason for her, not to sit down for a few minutes.
The two sat down on the bench beside another man who was also waiting for the train so that meant that they couldn't talk about anything really private because they weren't alone. The two didn't say a word to each other until a few minutes later they heard the sound of a train approaching due to the whistle being blown.
"Well, looks like the train is finally here," the man sitting beside them spoke for the first time. "They're late you know."
"Trains often are," Dave told the man, as the train pulled into the station. "There could be all kinds of reasons for them being late, including a blockage on the tracks."
"You would still think they could be on time," the man grumbled, as he rose and headed for the conductor with his ticket in hand. He didn't have much luggage, but then he was probably only going on a short trip not a long one so didn't need much.
"Well, he's certainly a grouch," Dania said quietly once the man was out of earshot.
"You know a lot of people like to grumble and complain about when something like the train is late in arriving or something doesn't meet their expectations," Dave told her. "That's just the way some people are."
"Believe me, I know," Dania agreed.
"Just ignore people like that, honey," Dave told her kissing her cheek. "Some people just like to grumble, because that's the way they are and it doesn't really mean anything."
"Yes, some people just like to see the negative side of things instead of thinking about the positive Dania agreed. "The train was late, but who cares, because as you said there could be any number of legitimate reasons for that."
The two of them approached the conductor with their tickets in hand, and the conductor took them officially stamping them before handing them back.
"I see you're all the way to New York," the conductor said.
"That's right, I have some old friends there that we're going to visit," Dave said.
"I hope you have a pleasant trip and you can come to me if you need anything," the conductor said. "You have one of our best compartments."
"Dave would have it no other way," Dania commented with a little smile in her mate's direction.
Dave sent her an innocent look, and Dania simply shook her head smiling a little.
"Well, all aboard, as we'll be leaving soon," the conductor said.
Dave went over to the trunks and started hurling one of them towards the train and the conductor rushed over to help him with the second one.
"Thanks for the help," Dave told the conductor.
"You're quite welcome, sir," the conductor assured him, as he started hurling the trunks down the train corridor towards the Rossis rented compartment.
Dania followed knowing she wouldn't be allowed to help with the trunks so she didn't bother to offer.
"Here you go, sir, ma'am," the conductor finally said, as he led the Rossis unerringly too the right compartment.
"Thank you, for your assistance," Dania told the conductor, as she entered the compartment.
"My pleasure ma'am," the conductor said smiling at Dania, noticing how lovely she was. Dania Rossi was a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair and eyes of blue. She was also slender with curves in all the right places. Some men were so lucky, the conductor thought just a little wishfully, as he was married to a shrew, and he never looked forward to going home, as he would surely hear her sharp tongue. The only reason that he ever went home anymore was because of his children who he could not abandon just because his wife was unpleasant.
"Thank you for your help, sir," Dave said as soon as the trunks were stored in the upper luggage racks.
"You're welcome, sir," the conductor said, as he took his leave.
"You know, I think he has a crush on you," Dave teased Dania.
"Who the conductor?" Dania asked once she had figured out who Dave meant.
"Who else could I possibly mean?" Dave asked her rhetorically.
"I had no idea who you were talking about at first," Dania said "As for the conductor, even if he does it doesn't really matter so long as he keeps his feelings to himself."
"True," Dave agreed. "I can't really blame him if he does have a crush on you, as you are beautiful woman. The minute he steps out a line though I'll deal with it I promise."
The threat in Dave's voice was crystal clear to Dania.
"You don't need to worry so much you know I have no interest in anyone but you," Dania promised kissing Dave on the cheek in a gesture of reassurance.
"It's not really you I'm concerned about," Dave told her truthfully. "Men have been known to do bad things, for all sorts of reasons, but especially when it comes to a beautiful woman."
"I don't think anything is going to happen Dave, as we'll only be on this train for like three days and it's not like I'm not going to constantly be with you. Besides, I can protect myself, you know I can. My training was through and complete, including in self-defense."
"Probably not," Dave admitted, dropping the subject. "Why don't we go get us a bite to eat, as soon as the train starts moving?"
"Sounds good," Dania said agreeably.
The two of them simply sat in their compartment and talked softly and waited for the train to pull out of the station before they headed to the dining car for some lunch since it was around that time.
The two enjoyed the intimacy very much and Dave would enjoy seeing the Hadleys in their home outside of New York. He was going to enjoy introducing Dania to them, and he was sure that the Hadleys would be shocked that he had met his mate here in this realm. After they got over that shock they would immediately accept Dania as his mate, as there could be no other outcome.
Dave felt contentment sweep through him and blessed the day he had met Dania Yates as she was his life and always would be.